Acts 15

Acts 15:18

:TEXT: “’things’ ·known from an age [long past].”

S B C Psi 33 81 1739 2495 cop

ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: CNOTES: “’things.’ ·Known to the Lord from an age [long past] is his work.”

p74 A D two lat vg

NIVnNOTES: “’things.’ ·Known to God from an age [long past] are all his works.”

E P 614 1241 Byz two lat syr

KJV

The phrase “known from an age [long past] is an elliptical phrase added by James to the quotation from Amos 9:12. Since the quotation ends with “things,” many copyists expanded this phrase into a complete sentence.

Acts 15:20

:TEXT: “abstain from the pollutions of idols and [from] fornication and [from] what is strangled and [from] blood.”

p74 S A B C E P Psi 33 81 614 1241 2495 Byz two lat vg syr cop(north)

KJV ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: B, C, A, A (against notes, in order)NOTES: “abstain from the pollutions of idols and [from] what is strangled and [from] blood.”

p45: NEBnNOTES: “abstain from the pollutions of idols and [from] fornication and [from] blood.”

one lat

RSVn NEBn NOTES: “abstain from the pollutions of idols and [from] fornication and [from] blood; and what they do not wish to be done to themselves do not do to others.”

D (both Greek and Latin)

NEBn NOTES: “abstain from the pollutions of idols and [from] fornication and [from] what is strangled and [from] blood; and whatever they do not wish to be done to themselves not to do to others.”

945 1739 one lat cop(south)

NEBn

The text reading is adequately supported by early manuscripts of several kinds of ancient text. The omission of “and fornication” may have been due to a mistake of the eye, when copyists’ eyes jumped from “and” to “and.” On the other hand, it may have been due to an attempt by copyists to make all of the laws ceremonial. While it might be possible that “and things strangled” was accidently omitted due to a mistake of the eye, the fact that the same words are omitted in verse 29 and the negative golden rule added seem to indicate that this was an attempt to make all the laws moral ones (taking “blood” as “blood-shedding” and adding the negative golden rule). See verse Acts 15:29.

Acts 15:24

:TEXT: “we have heard that some who went out from us”

p33 p74 Sc A C D E P Psi 33 81 614 945 1241 1739 2495 Byz lat vg syr cop

KJV ASV NIV NEBn TEV RANK: CNOTES: “we have heard that some from us” : S* B 88

ASVn RSV NASV NEB

The Greek word for “who went out” is in brackets in the UBS text. Although “who went out” might have been added under the influence of Gal 2:12 or to avoid the idea that the senders (“some of us”) of the letter were teaching this, its presence in so many manuscripts of different kinds of ancient text indicates that it is probably original.

Acts 15:29

:TEXT: “abstain from [meat] sacrificed to idols and [from] blood and [from] things strangled and [from] fornication.”

p33 \ S* \ A* \ B C \ 81 \ cop(north)

KJV ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: BNOTES: “abstain from [meat] sacrificed to idols and [from] blood and and [from] fornication; and what plyou do not wish to be done to plyourselves not to do to another.”

D two lat some vg

RSVn (only the omission) NEBnNOTES: “abstain from [meat] sacrificed to idols and [from] blood and [from] things strangled and [from] fornication; and what plyou do not wish to be done toplyourselves not to do to others.”

614 \ cop(south)

NEBn NOTES: “abstain from [meat] sacrificed to idols and [from] blood and [from] what is strangled.”

one vg*

NEBn

The evidence listed above in braces reads “what is strangled” rather than “things strangled.” This was probably a change made by copyists to make the text read like verse Acts 15:20. While it might be possible that “and things strangled” was accidently omitted due to a mistake of the eye, the fact that the same words are omitted in verse 20 and the negative golden rule added seem to indicate that this was an attempt to make all the laws moral ones. See verse 20.

Acts 15:34

:TEXT: omit verse 34

p74 S A B E P Psi 81 1241 2495 Byz two lat earlier vg syr most cop(north)

ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: BNOTES: include verse 34: “·But it seemed [good] to Silas to remain there.”

C 33 614 945 1739 one lat some cop(north) cop(south)

KJV ASVn RSVn NASVn NIVn NEBn TEVnNOTES: “include verse 34: “·But it seemed [good] to Silas to remain there, and only Judas went.”

D five lat

none NOTES: “include verse 34: “·But it seemed [good] to Silas to remain there, and only Judas went to Jerusalem.”

one lat later vg

none

In verse Acts 15:40 we find Silas again in Antioch after leaving for Jerusalem in verse Acts 15:33. To explain this, some copyists added this sentence saying that he never left.